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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fine — all right
  4. rest — a break
  5. stock — shares
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bound — obliged
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — a video
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — certain
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com